Putting the PRIDE back into our area - Graffitibusters Factsheet

How you can help

Graffiti blights many of our streets. However, it isn't something we have to put up with. There are many simple steps which residents can take to help in the fight against graffiti.

The more of us who report graffiti, the better the chance that it will be cleaned up quickly.

If graffiti appears on their own property, people are often unsure about how to get it removed. You will find details on this factsheet about how Sutton Council can help you get graffiti removed.

Don't forget, if you leave graffiti it can attract more graffiti, make the area less attractive, have an adverse affect on commerce and property values

Please contact us on 0208 770 5070 to let us know about a particular graffiti hotspot.

Getting graffiti removed

Removing graffiti is the responsibility of the person or company on whose property it appears, but to support local people and business, Sutton Council will remove or paint out graffiti free of charge from private or commercial property that is in public view (from the road or, for example, a public right of way) or that is under three metres high.

You can report any graffiti on private or commercial property to Sutton Council's Call Centre on 0208 770 5070

If you discover graffiti on Council housing property, please contact Sutton Council Customer Services on Freephone 0800 195 5552.

To assist the Council please state where it is, whether it is abusive or offensive, how much there is (e.g. single word or tag or an entire wall/fence), and what surface it covers (e.g. concrete, brickwork, wooden fence etc).

The Council does need permission to remove graffiti so will obtain permission from the property owner wherever they can.

There are number of other organisations responsible for Graffiti removal from their property. The organisations listed have very varying approaches to removing graffiti - some will act very quickly, others can be reluctant to act at all.

Adshel Bus Shelters 0800 731 3699

British Telecom 151 (Options 9 *)

London Buses - Bus Stops 020 7222 1234

London Underground 0845 330 9880

National Grid Transco 0800 111999

Network Rail (Tracks/ stations/ bridges) 08457 114141

Royal Mail 08457 740740 (Option 4)

Southern Electric 08457 444555

Telewest (Street cabinet repairs) 0800 953 2244

Transport for London Roads 0845 305 1234

Reporting graffiti to the Police

If you see someone carrying out graffiti ,they are committing criminal damage, so the police advise phoning 999. If there are police nearby they will go to the location. This will, however, be a low priority so get a good description as the perpetrators may be gone by the time they arrive.

Otherwise, reporting the graffiti incident to the police and getting them to record it will help the situation. It will bring evidence of the full costs and extent of the problem to people's attention. You can ring Sutton Police on 020 8643 1212 Sutton Borough 6 Carshalton Road West, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4RF, open 24 hours a day - 7 days a week

Why remove graffiti quickly?

Quick removal of graffiti has been shown by studies in the USA to be very discouraging to the vandals. A graffiti artist wants his or her work to be seen by as many people as possible. Removing the work fast frustrates this desire.

Uncleaned graffiti will attract move graffiti to a wall or surrounding area. Furthermore it is easier to remove graffiti from a surface quickly as paint and pen ink becomes harder to remove as it dries.

Preventing graffiti

Simple design considerations such as:

Opening areas up so they are overseen by passersby or the property owner

wooden trellis to break up the outline of a wall

planting at the base of walls to restrict access

thinking about lighting if it's a dark area

making an area look well cared for and so well used etc.

There are two treatments that can make your life easier if you suffer an attack by graffiti vandals. These are available through Nordic and other suppliers.

Active surfaces are chemical coatings which are designed to slow the drying times of the spray paint or marker pen used. They are cheap, easy to apply to a wall and usually don't require specialist equipment. However these surfaces are often known as sacrificial coatings as they dissolve when graffiti remover is applied and must then be recoated.

Passive surfaces are more robust coatings which do not need to be recoated after an attack. They are more expensive than active surfaces and have the advantage of being available in a variety of colours like paint.

Any other local issues?

Please let us know if you have a local problem which you would like Tom Brake and the Liberal Democrat team to help tackle: